The Hartford Courant To Endorse Barack Obama

The Hartford Courant will endorse U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, making him only the second Democratic presidential candidate to be endorsed in the paper's history.

The nod to Obama will be printed in the Sunday newspaper - the traditional day for the presidential endorsement.

The Courant is following a major trend in newspapers nationwide, which have currently endorsed Obama over Republican John McCain by 134 to 52, as of October 24. Editor & Publisher magazine, which is well-known in the newspaper industry, has been keeping a tally for years on presidential endorsements - providing the most comprehensive assessment on newspapers big and small.

Overall, at least 28 papers that endorsed Republican George W. Bush for re-election in 2004 have switched to endorse Obama. That includes well-known, high-circulation papers like The Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post, The New York Daily News, Asbury Park Press, Austin American-Statesman, and The Houston Chronicle.

The Los Angeles Times and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which did not endorse anyone four years ago, have endorsed Obama. The New York Times, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Daily News, and the St. Petersburg Times are also supporting Obama